One of the confusing things about Vista Beta 2 was the difference between public and private networks. When you create a new network connection, Vista Beta 2 asked you to classify that network as one or the other. There were many situations in which even experienced users weren't sure which of the two classifications to use for the networking environment. Private sounds more secure, but it was actually less secure. So, Microsoft has changed this for the better. There are now three classifications: Home, Work and Public Location.

This build of Vista shows a remarkable improvement in network browsing speed. When you open the Network window, which displays other workstations on a network, the mild delay before all available workstations appear is in the 5-to-10-second range on a typical six-node peer network of mixed Vista and Windows XP machines. Larger networks didn't require noticeably longer wait times either. Even first-time connections are fast. In Vista Beta 2 and earlier, the network browse-to-completion time could sometimes be measured in minutes -- and some workstations never showed up. Gone is the peer networking balkiness of early versions of Vista (as well as earlier generations of Windows).

That said, it does seem like Microsoft is missing some opportunities in the networking area. Why are the controls for naming and saving LAN connections different from the ones that manage wireless connections? Couldn't Windows offer a location-based, named and saved set of network configuration settings? Why does Vista continue to hide the wireless radio channel from you, even deep in status dialogs? On large networks that use the same SSID with multiple access points, it's annoying not to know the radio channel your PC is currently connecting to when you're roaming.

Lots of little things

Performance, reliability and networking controls are the most important aspects of what's new in Windows Vista RC1. But there are also some smaller elements you'll want to check out when you have a chance: